An information technology (“IT”) solution is a combination of hardware, software, and services used to solve an IT problem. However, given the large number of hardware, software, and service components that are typically available, choosing an optimum combination of components can be difficult. For example, a client needs to set up a computer system to handle the IT problem of resolving website issues. IT personnel working for the client spend two weeks determining the best approach to solving the problem, the specific needs the IT solution must satisfy, and choosing the best components to combine to form the IT solution. The final IT solution is a combination of hardware, software, and services configured for resolving website issues.
Typically, as a client grows and changes, IT solutions used by the client must be upgraded. However, the large number of possible components can quickly make it difficult for a client, such as an organization, to customize an IT solution in a timely and cost effective manner. Therefore, to satisfy the needs of clients, a number of approaches have been developed to solve IT problems and provide the needed IT solutions.
To solve an IT problem, three common approaches are often employed. The first approach is for a client, such as a business, to choose an IT solution from a selection of known IT solutions. The use of known IT solutions can be very limiting as the requirements for an IT solution often vary from one client to the next. Also, such solutions may not be scalable or customizable to meet the future needs of the client.
The second approach to solve an IT problem is for the client to utilize internal IT personnel to develop a customized IT solution, which can be very time consuming. Further, the associated cost of employing the needed skilled IT personnel to create a customized IT solution can put such an approach well out of reach. The third approach is for a client to hire a second party to design a customized IT solution, which can be very costly.
The creation of an IT solution is often difficult regardless of the approach used. If a known IT solution is to be used, then that IT solution must be created before hand. The creation of an IT solution typically requires an in-depth knowledge of a multitude of possible components. Generally, those who create IT solutions use their knowledge to carefully select and combine components to create an IT solution. This is a time consuming, and often costly, process that must be repeated to solve each individual IT problem.
To be considered complete, most IT solutions have requirements that must be met. An IT solution is often considered complete when the IT solution includes all of the components required to solve a given IT problem, which requires the IT solution to function. For example, if a computer did not include a processor, then that computer would not be considered a complete IT solution because the computer would not be able to function.
Known web sites allow a customer to select components according to the type of components required to complete an IT solution. For example, a customer initiates the creation of a custom order for a computer. The customer is presented with groups of components that are organized by type, e.g., processors, memory, motherboards, etc. The customer first selects a specific processor from the group of available processors. Following a similar process, the customer then selects the size of memory, the type of operating system, and the applications, etc., of the computer. The web sites can also make selections on behalf of the customer to assist in the completion of an IT solution. For example, the customer selects a specific processor and then uses an automatic selection option, provided by the web site, to select a compatible motherboard and chipset for that processor. The known web site software controls the hardware and software which is offered to the customer based on compatibility between the components themselves. For example, a Microsoft™ Windows™ 7 operating system requires a minimum amount of memory, so if the user selects the Windows™ operating system, then the web site software requires the user to select at least the minimum amount of memory. Likewise, certain applications can execute on certain releases of the Windows™ operating systems, but not earlier releases, so once the user selects the Windows 7 operating system, the web site software will only offer compatible applications to the user. As another example, some applications can only utilize certain data bases, so once the user selects the application, the automated system limits the choice of data bases based on compatibility with the application that was selected.
The knowledge needed to create an IT solution includes several categories of information such as, for example, program compatibility. Given the rapid development and growth of the software industry, the number of possible components that can be used to create IT solutions is rapidly increasing, which can increase the difficulty of creating IT solutions based on the compatibility of selected components.
An object of the invention is to consider factors other than compatibility between the components themselves in selecting components for an IT solution.